Tool for crimping seals on containers



March 14, 1967 w. N. MOUSER 3,308,603

TOOL FOR CRIMPING SEALS ON CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 6, 1963 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. WILLIAM N Mouserz A-r-roRNEy United States Patent 3,308,603 TOOL FOR CING SEALS ON CONTAINERS William Nelson Mouser, Lake Odessa, Mich., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Dec. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 328,764 2 Claims. (Cl. 53-334) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to container closures, more particularly to a tool for crimping a deformable seal or cover onto a can or other container.

The sample cans in which food samples or tissue specimens are shipped to laboratories for analysis frequently have security friction lids similar to the covers of ordinary paint cans. When shipping such sample cans, it may be necessary to apply an overseal to secure the lid or cover in place in order to satisfy postal regulations and to prevent unauthorized persons tampering with the samples contained therein. One of the common overseals now in use is a deformable metal ring adapted to be crimped around the top edge of the can. The crimping tools used to apply such overseals have heretofore been relatively complicated and expensive.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, manually operated crimping tool to apply a sealing ring to the closure of a container.

Briefly, the crimping device of the present invention comprises a pair of pivoted, opposed, semi-circular jaws, adapted to be closed about the cylindrical top of a can or container. Each jaw has a plurality of rollers mounted therein. When a can is to be sealed the lid of the can is first put in place and a deformable sealing ring which covers the joint between the lid and the can is then placed on the top of the can. The sealing ring used has a short skirt at its outer periphery which extends downward over a circumferential bead at the top of the can. The crimping tool is thereafter placed so that the jaws embrace the can and seal combination with the tools rollers bearing against the skirt of the seal. The jaws of the tool are then manually squeezed together and the tool is rotated. The skirt of the seal is thereby crimped to the circumferential bead at the top of the can.

The details of the invention, its advantages and potential modifications and uses will be understood from the description which follows and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a typical sample can and overseal with which the crimping tool may be used;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the crimping tool as seen from its bottom with one jaw partly broken away;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the crimping tool in use;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation, partly in section, showing the relation of the crimping tool, seal and can before the jaws of the crimping tool are closed; and

FIG. 5 is a partial side elevation, partly in section, showing the relation of the crimping tool, seal and can, after the jaws are closed.

FIG. 1 shows a common type of sample can and overseal which is used in shipping food samples and tissue specimens to a laboratory for analysis. The sample can 1 is cylindrical in shape, made of metal and has a closure means very similar to the closure means of a typical paint can. The top of the can has a peripheral bead 2, an annular shelf 3, and an annular, rim-receiving groove 4 surrounding the central opening 5. The metal, circular cover or lid 6 has an outer lip 7 and a depending compressible rim 8. The cover 6 is applied to can 3,368,693 Patented Mar. 14, 1967 1 by forcing compressible rim 8 into rim receiving groove 4. When the cover is in place, outer lip 7 is close to or bears against shelf 3 of the can and the top of lid 6 is flush with the top of peripheral bead 2 of the can. The deformable, metallic sealing ring 9 illustrated in FIG. 1 is of a commercially available type. The sealing ring includes a short depending inner lip 10 and a somewhat longer depending outer skirt 11. Sealing ring 9 also has upstanding projections or bosses 12 and a tear tab 13 which facilitates tearing and removal of the ring after it has been applied to a can.

Referring to FIG. 2, the crimping tool 15 of the present invention comprises a pair of opposed, semi-circular, movable jaws 16 and 17. Jaws 16 and 17 are mounted in the opening of U-shaped pivot block 18 for limited movement about pivot pins 19 and 20, respectively.

Each jaw comprises a barrel portion 21, an inwardly extending flange portion 22, and a removable bottom plate 23. A plurality of recesses 24 are provided along the interior wall of barrel portion 21, each recess being open at the bottom of barrel portion 21. When removable bottom plate 23 is attached to barrel portion 21 by bolts 25, the bottom plate forms a bottom wall for recesses 24.

A crimping roller 26 having an annular groove 27 near its top edge is mounted for free rotation within each recess 24 on a pin 28. A crimping tool employing two rollers within each movable jaw has proven very satisfactory in operation.

A plurality of spaced-gripping notches 29 may be provided at the top of the movable jaws 16 and 17 to make it easier for an operator to grip the crimping tool when using it.

The dimensions and relative locations of the various components of the crimping tool are dependent on the size of the container and seal with which the tool is to be used, and will be readily understood from the drawings and from the following description of the manner in which the tool is used.

Referring to FIGS. 35, when the crimping tool 15 is to be used, movable jaws 16 and 17 are closed about the top of the can-cover-seal combination. Outer skirt 11 of sealing ring 9 extends downward below peripheral bead 2 of the can. The top of sealing ring 9 effectively covers the joint between can 1 and the lid 6, inner lip 10 of the seal bearing against the top of lid 6. The bottom of the inwardly facing flange 22 of the crimping tool rests upon sealing ring bosses 12. The grooves 27 of crimping rollers 26 which are somewhat larger than peripheral bead 2 are aligned with the peripheral bead. The lower portion of crimping rollers 26 bear against the bottom of sealing ring skirt 11. The operator can, by squeezing movable jaws 16 and 17 together, crimp the bottom of skirt 11 around the bottom of can bead 2. The operator rotates the crimping tool 15 in order to crimp the bottom of the skirt around the entire periphery of the bead. The seal thus applied positively engages the can providing a tight seal which is relatively tamper proof but which can be removed readily by using tear tab 13 to rip the seal.

Certain modifications can be made in the crimping tool described without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, bottom plates 23 need not be removable from movable jaws 16 and 17. Recesses 24 can be formed and crimping rollers 26 mounted therein even though each movable jaw is integrally made. Other conventional pivoting means can be used to replace pivot block 18; the pivot block is preferred, however, because it allows a degree of play between the jaws. Furthermore, the crimping tool need not be used only to crimp ring-type seals onto the tops of cans or containers. It can be used, for example, to crimp a cover onto a can 3 where the cover has a depending skirt and the can has a circumferential bead at its top edge.

I claim:

1. A tool for crimping the depending skirt of a sealing ring onto the circumferential bead surrounding the covered opening of a container comprising:

(a) a pair of opposed, selectively opened and closed, semi-circular jaws, joined by a vertical pivot, said jaws having an inwardly directed flange at the top thereof adapted to rest upon the top of the container;

(b) a plurality of spaced, rotatable rollers mounted in said jaws; said rollers when said jaws are closed,

7 defining a circle of less diameter than the depending skirt, and said rollers having annular grooves slightly larger than the height of the circumferential bead.

2. A crimping tool as described in claim 5 wherein:

(a) said vertical jaws pivot includes a U-shaped pivot block and a pair of pivot pins, one end of each jaw being received in the recess in said pivot block and retained therein by a pivot pin; and

(b) each jaw includes a barrel portion having rollerreceiving recesses spaced about its inner wall, said recesses opening inwardly and downwardly, and a removable bottom plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GRANVILLE, Y. CUSTER, 111., Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR CRIMPING THE DEPENDING SKIRT OF A SEALING RING ONTO THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL BEAD SURROUNDING THE COVERED OPENING OF A CONTAINER COMPRISING: (A) A PAIR OF OPPOSED, SELECTIVELY OPENED AND CLOSED, SEMI-CIRCULAR JAWS, JOINED BY A VERTICAL PIVOT, SAID JAWS HAVING AN INWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGE AT THE TOP THEREOF ADAPTED TO REST UPON THE TOP OF THE CONTAINER; (B) A PLURALITY OF SPACED, ROTATABLE ROLLERS MOUNTED IN SAID JAWS; SAID ROLLERS WHEN SAID JAWS ARE CLOSED, DEFINING A CIRCLE OF LESS DIAMETER THAN THE DEPENDING SKIRT, AND SAID ROLLERS HAVING ANNULAR GROOVES SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL BEAD. 